About me

Address: Washington, D.C.: Robert S. Strauss Tower, 2001 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20006-1037

Areas of Focus: International Trade; Trade Remedy Litigation; International Trade Policy; World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Resolution & Counseling; Customs & Import Controls; Sovereign Governments; Administrative & Regulatory Litigation; Antibribery/Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA); Climate Change; Tariff Enforcement Defense; Export Controls; Economic Sanctions

Biography:
Matt is a partner in Akin’s international trade practice, where he focuses mostly on trade remedies, customs and other trade policies affecting the importation of goods. Matt has achieved the highest industry honors, including being ranked as a Leading Lawyer in International Trade Law by Chambers USA , Chambers Global and The Legal 500 . Clients interviewed by Chambers describe Matt as “an extremely talented and effective international trade lawyer.”
Additional industry recognitions highlighting Matt’s market-leading practice include being named a Trailblazer by The American Lawyer . Matt was also featured in The American Lawyer ’s Litigator of the Week series for securing pivotal wins regarding U.S. imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) solar products at the U.S. Court of International Trade.
When Akin won the Law360 International Trade Group of the Year award, Matt was profiled for his work on behalf of a coalition of blueberry importers and distributors facing an investigation. The successful defense “set a strong precedent for seasonal imports facing government-initiated probes,” according to Law360 .
Matt has represented hundreds of clients across the globe involving multiple industries in antidumping duty, countervailing duty and safeguard litigation, and routinely provides counsel on the business implications of day-to-day trade and customs regulation. He regularly appears before various U.S. agencies and courts, including in proceedings before the Department of Commerce (DOC), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), International Trade Commission (ITC) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). He also represents clients in appeals before the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Matt’s current casework includes counseling foreign exporters and importers in several antidumping and countervailing duty investigations and reviews. He also takes his clients’ matters up on appeal to federal court, including the pending challenge to Section 301 duties on U.S. imports from China.
Matt also advises clients on opportunities and risks presented by international obligations under bilateral, regional and multilateral trade and investment agreements, including World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute resolution and counseling. Relying on his knowledge of WTO agreements, Matt advises clients on whether actions taken by member governments comply with WTO agreements, on implementation procedures under U.S. law and on methods for resolving trade disputes, including through formal dispute settlement.
In addition to his remedies, policy and WTO work, Matt has experience in the full range of the U.S. trade regulatory regime, including export controls, economic sanctions, anticorruption and antiboycott laws.
As an adjunct law professor at the American University Washington College of Law, Matt co-teaches a course on “The U.S. Trade Regime” and assists with coaching the school’s WTO moot court team. Matt has also served in various leadership positions in the trade bar throughout his career, most recently as President of the Customs and International Trade Bar Association (CITBA) from 2020-2022.

Representative Work:
- Represents associations and companies in ongoing AD, CVD and safeguard matters involving imports of solar cells and modules before DOC, ITC and the federal courts.
- Leads the largest trade lawsuit in history challenging President Trump’s Section 301 duties on imports from China.
- Represents the largest Mexican exporter and its U.S. parent before the DOC and the ITC in AD and CVD cases against U.S. imports of fabricated structural steel from Mexico, Canada and China, and in appeals before North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) panels and the federal courts.
- Represents a Mexican producer of residential washers in an AD case before DOC and in NAFTA panel appeals.
- Represented a coalition of importers and exporters before the ITC in a safeguard case against imports of fresh and frozen blueberries.

Credentials:
Education: J.D., American University, Washington College of Law, 1991 (cum laude); B.A., Oberlin College, 1987
Bar Admissions: District of Columbia, 1991
Court Admissions: U.S. Court of International Trade, 1993; U.S.C.A., D.C. Circuit, 1991; U.S. Supreme Court, 2017; U.S.C.A., Federal Circuit, 1993

Recognitions:
- Chambers USA , International Trade Law: Trade Remedies and Trade Policy 2016-2026.
- The Legal 500 US , recommended in Dispute Resolution - International Trade "Leading Lawyer," 2024-2026 and "Leading Partner," 2025.
- The American Lawyer , South Trailblazer, 2022.
- Chambers Global , WTO/International Trade: Trade Remedies and Trade Policy.
- Who’s Who Legal , Trade & Customs.
- The Best Lawyers in America , International Trade and Finance.
- Super Lawyers , Washington, D.C.

Affiliations:
- President, Customs and International Trade Bar Association (CITBA), 2020 to present; vice president, 2018-2020.
- Co-chair, Georgetown University Law Center, International Trade Update CLE Advisory Board, 2018 to present.
- Adjunct Professor, American University Washington College of Law, 2007 to present.
- Member, U.S. Court of International Trade Advisory Committee on Rules, 2008 to present.
- Member, Washington International Trade Association.
- Co-chair and vice chair, American Bar Association, Section on International Law, International Trade Committee, 2003-2010.
- Board member, JHP Inc. (Jobs Have Priority, aka Jobs for Homeless People), 2003 to present; board president, 2006-2009; board vice president, 2012-2015; board treasurer, 2005-2006.

Insights:
- New Presidential Executive Order Directing Comprehensive Customs Reform: What Importers and Other U.S. CBP Regulated Parties Need To Know (June 15, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/new-presidential-executive-order-directing-comprehensive-customs-reform-what-importers-and-other-us-cbp-regulated-parties-need-to-know
- Akin Secures Top Rankings in The Legal 500 US 2026  (June 10, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/akin-secures-top-rankings-in-the-legal-500-us-2026
- Chambers USA 2026 Recognizes Akin Lawyers and Practices  (June 4, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-usa-2026-recognizes-akin-lawyers-and-practices
- Pallets, Penalties and Parallel Proceedings: $549.5 Million Perfectus Aluminum Settlement Sets a New High-Water Mark in False Claims Act Trade Fraud Enforcement (May 15, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/pallets-penalties-and-parallel-proceedings-dollar5495-million-perfectus-aluminum-settlement-sets-a-new-high-water-mark-in-false-claims-act-trade-fraud-enforcement
- From Forest to Felony: Boise Cascade’s $6.3 Million Lacey Act Plea Signals a New Front in DOJ’s Trade Fraud Crackdown (April 29, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/from-forest-to-felony-boise-cascades-dollar63-million-lacey-act-plea-signals-a-new-front-in-dojs-trade-fraud-crackdown
- Chambers Global Recognizes Akin’s Lawyers and Practices in 2026 Edition (February 12, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-global-recognizes-akins-lawyers-and-practices-in-2026-edition
- New Antidumping Duty Petition on Fresh Winter Strawberries From Mexico (December 31, 2025): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/new-antidumping-duty-petition-on-fresh-winter-strawberries-from-mexico
- New Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Petitions on Van-Type Trailers and Subassemblies Thereof from Canada, Mexico, and China (November 24, 2025): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/new-antidumping-and-countervailing-duty-petitions-on-van-type-trailers-and-subassemblies-thereof-from-canada-mexico-and-china
- WTO Rules Against EU’s Attribution Method, Avoids Definitive Ruling on Legality of Transnational Subsidies (October 8, 2025): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/wto-rules-against-eus-attribution-method-avoids-definitive-ruling-on-legality-of-transnational-subsidies
- AD/CVD Petitions on Solar Cells and Modules from India, Indonesia and Laos (“Solar IV”) (July 25, 2025): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/adcvd-petitions-on-solar-cells-and-modules-from-india-indonesia-and-laos-solar-iv
- Akin Secures Top Rankings in The Legal 500 US 2025  (June 12, 2025): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/akin-secures-top-rankings-in-the-legal-500-us-2025
- Chambers USA 2025 Recognizes Akin Lawyers and Practices (June 5, 2025): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-usa-2025-recognizes-akin-lawyers-and-practices